League by League
by nauticaas
Summary: They lose the captain on the W. Cyclone, and it's only Day Two on the Grand Line. Still, it turns out that this is the least of their worries when they land on an uncharted island after a typhoon blows them off course halfway to Little Garden. Short three members, the crew must use their wits to save the Merry and to uncover the island's secrets before it's too late, for everyone.
1. The Islands

**Author's Note:** Like all of my works, this is just another product of my wandering mind, and it's unlikely to amount to a serious story or anything. It is set between the Whiskey Peak arc and Little Garden, soon after the Straw Hats part ways with Miss All Sunday on Cactus Island.

* * *

**The Islands**

One of the things about the unpredictability of the Grand Line was that mapping out a new sea current or wind in the middle of the perfect storm was impossible, by all practical means, and Nami was just discovering that the hard way on the ocean route to Little Garden. Someone on the Grand Line must have discovered the W. Cyclone sea current (the name she had decided upon in the muddled serenity following the typhoon) long before they did, but survival on the stormy seas had won out over getting the proper convection's path sketched out on paper, or so she assumed. Either way, all that she had managed to draw out in her mapbook was a wobbly swirl that reminded her distinctly of a nautilus shell. Or the cook's eyebrow.

"Nami-san, you've been staring at that snail sketch for the past half hour; please give me some sort of sign that you haven't died of shock yet."

Vivi was looking at her with a fragile, wide-eyed expression of concern on her face, her hands grasping Nami's shoulders as though she was about to start shaking her out of desperation. Her pale hair hung in her face in tangled waves, half of it just barely remaining in her hacked ponytail after having endured the furious hurricane-like winds out on the ocean. Nami knew that she probably looked no better, especially after she had a good chunk of her own hair slashed off by a wayward line that could have taken her head if Usopp hadn't noticed and thrown her to the ground at the last second. Her scalp was still stinging from the blow.

The young princess was still staring at her, expecting an answer, so she did her best to come up with an appropriate reply. "It's the nautilus that almost killed us, Vivi-chan."

Vivi was speechless. She gingerly rubbed the back of her head, wincing as a few more strands of hair fell out into her hand. They stared at the lock of hair silently, and then at each other. Neither of them could find words in the haze of sudden calm after the storm.

"Oi, stop poring over those books and get out here!" Zoro's voice carried the firm power that they needed in order to pull themselves out of their stupor and back on the deck, though Nami brought her journal with her so that she could make further notes if the occasion arose. Not that any changes in the ocean waters would matter here anymore. The girls joined Zoro and Usopp at the stern of the Going Merry, staring numbly over the edge of the railing at the devastation wrought on by the storm.

"We need to go back out _there_-" he pointed at the tranquil, aquamarine waters of the sea route between the island and Little Garden, whichever direction that might be now. "-and find out where Luffy ended up, the damn bastard."

Nami blinked slowly, trying to let her eyes adjust to the brilliant white light of the midmorning sun. "Do you think he's got out of the snail yet?"

The swordsman gave her an odd look, which was made all the stranger by the cross shaped wound on his forehead, possibly from some stray debris ripped off the ship in the middle of the storm. He had actually made it through relatively unscathed, considering his luck in battle and disaster; seeing as he was Zoro, though, that wasn't saying much. Nami was not looking forward to having to wrench that broken guard rail from his thigh, at any rate. _We really need to get a doctor on board._

To her relief, Vivi seemed to have caught on as to what she was talking about when she referred to the W. Cyclone current as a "snail", which meant she had to do less explaining in the long run. "Would he have even survived that sea current, Nami-san?"

Nami managed to shrug her shoulders, wondering if the ringing in her ears was due to a possible concussion. _I don't know_, were the words on the tip of her tongue, but she caught herself in time to remember that this was Luffy they were talking about, after all. That boy was practically indestructible and undefeatable at this point; he was so determined in his course to become the Pirate King that even the ocean pool back at Arlong Park hadn't been enough to drown him.

"He's fine," Zoro answered for her, being the most alert and aware of the current crew. He shifted Usopp's weight onto his left arm before turning to face the girls with a wry grin. "That idiot still has his dream and his promise to old man Igaram to fulfill, remember? Geez, don't just go and give up already; it's only been two days since we got out here."

Nami knew that somehow, instinctively, he was right, but reason also dictated that _it_ was correct as well. "The current nearly dragged the ship under, Zoro. He fell right into it when he went after Carue."

Vivi was biting her lip in an attempt to keep her composure even as fear and despair threatened to break her heart, and Nami felt terrible that she had even mentioned it. "O-of course, it'll take more than some stupid ocean waves to keep Luffy down, right guys?"

Zoro frowned softly. "Stop acting like anyone's died yet, Vivi; Luffy won't let anything happen to your friend. Besides, they've got the cook with them, and as much of a pain as that guy is, he's the crew's strongest swimmer and the best chance they have of surviving in the water."

"Exactly, Vivi-chan!" Nami forced her mind to shake off its tired haze and pasted a determined smile onto her face. "So let's leave them to do what they have to in order to get to safety, and we'll work on meeting them back on the water so that we can continue to Little Garden, okay?"

Usopp gave a tired, choked sound from somewhere in the back of his throat; he was nursing two bad gashes on his right arm and his goggles and slingshot were missing. He was still leaning heavily on Zoro, but the reason he was swaying on his feet had more to do with fear than his injuries. "We're up in a tree, Nami; how do you suggest that we get the Merry down to the beach again?"

The Straw Hat pirates glanced down at the leafy, grand boughs of the tree that was holding them aloft, several miles from the sea in the dead center of the unknown island that the typhoon had deposited them on. They watched the branches sway ever so slightly in the calm ocean breeze, making it a precarious position to be in. It was a mystery as to how they were even still in the air after everything that had happened.

"I don't know," Nami muttered, grabbing Vivi's hand in an attempt to quell her rising panic. "Any ideas?"

Zoro shrugged lightly, accidentally letting Usopp crumple to the floor in a heap ("_Oww_," the sniper whimpered listlessly). "We'll figure it out on the way."

* * *

Somewhere on another uncharted island several leagues away, a great tangled mass of debris and seaweed washed up onto the sandy shore, slowly being worn down by the breaking waves and incoming tide. Within the trappings of green algae and kelp, three figures lay motionless and battered by the ocean's cruelest fury during the storm.

The cook was sprawled over his captain's body protectively, one arm crushed painfully underneath the boy's weight while the other clutched a sopping, feathery lump that at one point had resembled a large-billed duck. He could barely crack an eye open wide enough to note the white sand of the beach that they had landed on, the captain's familiar red vest, and Carue's blue cap buried in the mat of seaweed that covered them. Beneath his cheek, thrumming with a stubborn, undying pulse as though reminding him that he hadn't given up yet, was Luffy's heart; the cook smiled weakly into his chest.

_His heart is still beating_, was Sanji's last thought before he succumbed to blissful oblivion, unaware of the tide's persistent pull on their tangled nest and the rising waters around them. As the ocean lovingly engulfed his legs and began to drag them back in, a strong bill clasped itself around the torn collar of his shirt and hauled both captain and cook out of the water. Once he was certain that they were out of harm's way, Carue collapsed next to them and settled in wearily to keep watch over the two Straw Hats, frowning determinedly at the hungry waves below them.

The others were bound to come looking for them soon, and until then he would wait for Vivi patiently. Nothing was going to happen to his new friends if he could help it.


	2. Up A Tree

**Author's Note:** The chapter title references the phrase "up a tree" as meaning "to be in a delicate situation", and it also means "the Straw Hats are literally up a tree right now". Hm. Anyway, this has to be the most lighthearted story I've ever posted ever (we do not speak of What Black Leg is Cooking), and I'm not even lying. Really. I hope you enjoy this bit of fun I'm indulging in, regardless.

* * *

**Up A Tree**

Zoro let out an almighty howl that sent all of the birds in the branches around them scattering across the sky, startled and frantic. _"What the hell are you doing, Vivi?"_

"I-I'm sorry," Vivi flinched back fearfully, hands still clutched tightly around the guard rail she had just wrenched out of his leg. She would have bandaged him up but with the way he was writhing around and swearing up a storm, the venture was just too hazardous to her own health; he would have to calm down first. "It's out now, so please, let me-"

_"Hey, don't you dare talk to her like that, meathead."_ Nami's expression was livid as she stomped over to the pair, holding a pair of scissors that she was using to even out her hacked off hair. "She just ripped a piece of lumber out of your leg when _you_ didn't have the guts to do it yourself, so shut up and apologize to her, idiot!"

"How the hell am I supposed to shut up _and_ apologize, _numbskull_; did you really hit your head that hard in the storm?"

"Sh-shut up! That's your problem to figure out…_shut up_!"

"_Oh-ho,_ so this is how little Miss Maturity articulates her arguments, huh? _Very_ impressive."

"Be grateful I didn't just toss you overboard just to be done with you, moron! And 'articulate'? What dictionary did you swallow up this morning, you _Neanderthal_?"

As eloquent and well-spoken as they were, their argument quickly deteriorated into name-calling and angry hollering noises as both navigator and swordsman roared into each other's face, leaving the displaced, self-exiled princess to stare in horror at them. While the pair yelled at each other, Vivi felt someone pull her to her feet and gently guide her away from the screaming match.

Usopp glanced over his shoulder furtively before leaning in to confer with the young woman privately at the edge of the railing. "Vivi, I would suggest that _now_ is the time to pack our bags and abandon ship; I'm sure Luffy and the others would understand."

Vivi furrowed her brow. So there really was no way to get the Going Merry back out to sea, was there? "Okay, let me just tell Nami-san and-"

"No, idiot; that's who we're leaving in the first place!" Usopp's expression was almost manic with fear as he gestured wildly toward the dueling pair, who had noticed his yell and were slowly approaching him with a thunderous air. "I wouldn't suggest leaving Merry if it wasn't absolutely life-threatening…"

He looked up at his two crewmates looming over him with dark, terrifying stares. "Ah-ha-hah…guys, before you say I am abandoning you, let me explain a thing-"

Vivi cringed as Usopp's screams joined the commotion on the Merry's deck; without their captain it seemed like the Straw Hats were quick to fall into pandemonium even faster than when he was there to cause it. They had lost sight of their priorities like smoke disappearing into thin air, and they just didn't have time for this. Carue, Luffy, and Sanji were depending on them to come through and save them. Tears sprung to her eyes at the thought of her new companions lost at sea, leagues away from any land at all, and slowly, _painfully_ dying of hunger and thirst out on the choppy, salty waters with no hope of rescue. _Poor Carue, he must be so scared…_

She bit down on her lip with resolve and drew a deep breath. "Please…everyone, stop _fighting_!"

Everyone froze, and Zoro snatched the opportunity to get one last punch in on Usopp. They noticed her tears and were immediately mollified. Shamefaced, Nami took a look around at her bleeding, bruised crewmates and then at the distressed princess they had promised to escort back home. Making her upset was probably _not_ on the list of responsibilities that came with their duty to protect her on their journey. "Vivi, it's okay; please don't cry. We'll try to not be uncultured swine in front of you. Right Usopp?" The sniper gave a low groan of agreement. "Meathead?" Zoro rolled his eyes but nodded.

"See? We're friends again, and friends don't fight with each other." Nami clapped her hands once and gave a great, exaggerated sigh of happiness. "Isn't everyone feeling so much better already?"

"Don't insult my intelligence, Carrot-Top," Zoro muttered, to the navigator's indignation.

_"What intelligence, Lettuce-Head?"_

Vivi stepped between them before they could start arguing again. "Everyone, please. Luffy, Sanji, and Carue are out there in the middle of the ocean, on the _Grand Line_, and we're just standing around yelling at each other on the only thing that could rescue them for possibly hundreds of sea-miles. We have to get the Merry back out to sea and find them."

Usopp nodded grimly, gathering up a good length of rope and fixing it to one of the metal cleats on the front of the ship. "She's right; our friends need us, and so does Merry. Let's figure out how to get the ship down from here and work from there, okay?"

He then grinned sheepishly and pointed at the secured rope with a nervous air. "Alright, who wants to get tied to that thing and jump over the railing, dangling fifty or so meters above solid, unforgiving forest floor that will kill you instantly if the rope gives or if we mess up and drop you?"

"Why don't you do it?" Zoro snapped immediately, to which Usopp just hung his head tearfully and said, "Because I want to live, idiot."

Nami shook her head while the swordsman tapped his blade's scabbard threateningly against Usopp's forehead. ""It's way too dangerous, Usopp; I think we-"

"I'll do it."

"…Vivi, th-that's…you don't have to," Nami stammered, panicking when the young woman strolled calmly over to the rope and began fastening it around her waist. "O-oi, stop! We can send one of the two idiots instead!"

"Nami-san, they're injured," Vivi pointed out matter-of-fact. "Usopp can hardly be expected to strain his wounded arm, and poor Zoro's leg is bleeding out on the deck with all the enthusiasm of our lost captain. As the most able-bodied of the current crew, it makes sense for me to volunteer, right?"

Zoro folded his arms over his chest, ignoring the blood spurting cheerfully out of his thigh. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Leaving Usopp to tend to the swordsman, who was already starting to look pale and shaky on his feet with his current blood loss, Nami grabbed Vivi's arm and pulled her back onto the deck. "I'll go instead."

"Nami-san…" Vivi sighed and made the navigator face her. "Look straight at me, okay?"

Nami did as she was told, frowning when the two princesses in front of her bit their lips in worry. "Your gaze is unfocused, and you're probably seeing double, right? There's no doubt you have the beginnings of a concussion, and you should probably stay here and rest."

"I do not have a concussion," she protested weakly as Vivi pushed her into a chair, disappointed when her words came out slurred and slow. "I'm perfectly fine, you two understand?"

Vivi smiled brightly. "Of course, Nami. Just sit there and try not to make it worse. I'll be back soon."

They watched her climb over the edge of the railing carefully, checking the rope to make sure it would hold her weight and keep her from plummeting to certain death at the bottom of the forest.

"Are you gonna be alright, Vivi?" Usopp frowned, holding a section of the rope for extra security. "We're supposed to be helping you, not the other way around."

The young woman nodded firmly. "I'll be fine, Usopp-kun; this is what friends do, right?"

He gaped at her in stunned silence as she let go of the railing and stepped off without another word, falling back in a wide, arching dive into the empty air and out of his sight.

"VIVI!"

The three Straw Hats rushed to the railing at the sound of her piercing scream, wide-eyed and terrified beyond their wits. Another moment later, they were sighing in relief as her shrieking laughter reached their ears.

"Oh, God, she's not dead," Usopp slumped against Nami, who simply chuckled weakly as she watched the young woman swing wildly back and forth underneath the Going Merry. She had thrown her arms out and let the momentum of the fall send her spinning and tumbling through the air and even started kicking her legs around to keep herself twirling around longer.

"Everyone, this is unimaginably wonderful!" Vivi yelled, throwing her head back with a chiming laugh. "You simply have to try this; it's so cathartic, so…so much fun!"

Usopp grinned and leaned against the railing, shaking his head as the princess of Alabasta spun in midair while dangling precariously from a single rope tied to a pirate ship over a deadly drop of certain doom and death. "She's just as impulsive and thrill-seeking as Luffy; no wonder she left home at fourteen to go infiltrate a criminal organization."

"She's amazing," Nami corrected him with a blissful sigh, looking over the edge of the ship to get a better view. "Hey, Vivi; I'm coming down in a sec! Wait up and don't have too much fun without me!"

Zoro had a second rope tied around himself already when Nami snatched up a rope for herself; they shared an excited grin as they moored their lines to the cleats tightly before returning to the bow of the ship. "Let's go, Usopp; here's your rope."

The sniper blanched at their expressions. "Y-you're serious, aren't you? Guys, I think I've suddenly developed 'I-can't-jump-off-dangerously-high-drops-with-only-a-rigging-line-keeping-me-fixed-to-the-tree-ship' disease…no, don't tie it around me; come _on_!"

Vivi's voice interrupted them as they struggled to harness Usopp to the Merry's bow. "Hey, can you lower me down a bit? I see something strange underneath the Merry's hull."

"Yes, it's called a tree, probably the strangest thing to discover under your ship," Zoro drawled, smirking when Nami punched his arm and ordered him to do as Vivi had asked. "Alright, is that low enough, Vivi?"

He was met with nothing but her silence and the natural murmur of the forest around them.

"Vivi? Oi, what happened?" Zoro called down, furrowing his brow in worry. Nami was already getting ready to jump after her when the young woman finally answered in a soft, fearful tone.

"…guys, I think we landed on someone."

* * *

Nothing but white hot sand filled his vision wherever he turned his head, and it burned his feet as he trudged slowly up the beach, slipping between his toes and into his sandals and generally being really damn annoying. With a quiet growl he shook his shoes out and kicked the sand huffily, glaring it as though to dare it to keep getting in his way. It didn't bother him at all after that.

Carue nipped him and gave a little squawk of worry, to which Luffy just grinned and patted his head comfortingly. "It's okay, Carue; we're good right now. You did your best, so just take it easy."

The spot-billed duck fluttered his wings and hobbled along on his injured foot carefully, still eager to do whatever he could to help his friends, even if he couldn't carry them. He nudged Sanji gently and let out a sad croon, which didn't escape Luffy's notice. The captain glanced down and set his jaw firmly before mustering up a new, bright smile and foraging ahead, fiercely determined to find shelter and help for his crew.

"You too, Sanji," he muttered, remembering how furious and devastating the waves had been last night, and how far off course they were, according to Carue's information gathering from the local wildlife. (At least, he _thought_ those were coordinate and distance estimates, or maybe they were human meat recipes. It was hard to tell from the duck's desperate flailing and the hungry look in the island animals' eyes.) Either way, his cook had kept them alive in the storm and dragged them all the way to land from who knows where in the middle of the ocean, and Luffy couldn't have been happier that they were out here on another adventure so soon in the Grand Line. "You did such a good job; I'm so proud of you."

Sanji said nothing, had said nothing for a very long time, and it was making a hint of concern burrow into the back of Luffy's mind as he shifted the unconscious cook in his arms. But Zoro always slept for _hours_ after a rough, hard battle, and so he figured that it couldn't hurt to let Sanji do the same. He would take care of him in the meanwhile. "Just sleep, okay…I'll handle the rest now."


End file.
